Letting Go of the Past, Forgiving Yourself

Letting Go of the Past….forgive others, forgiving yourself
Why is it so hard for us to let go of the past? If we had a clear picture and better understanding of what ‘holding onto the past’ was doing to our lives and our bodies, we would stop being so reluctant and just let things go.
People who have an unforgiving spirit draw to themselves negative situations, negative people and negative energy – most of the time without even realizing it. This is true even more so, when the unforgiving spirit that they are holding onto is directed at themselves. Holding a grudge is like carrying around a 100 lb weight. It is an unbearable load to carry.
Do we believe that holding onto the past is somehow punishing or hurting the person who ‘did us wrong’? For years I was mad at my dad for not being the dad that I envisioned, for not being there for me. All the time I spent being mad at my dad, he was DEAD. The only one I was hurting or punishing was myself! Even if the person or situation is still alive, still happening – who is the one lying awake at night? You! Me! Certainly not the one who hurt us, they might not even be aware that we are mad or hurting. And yet, we are drawing to ourselves the same emotions that we are sending out. Pain. Anger. Frustration. And that is what we will attract right back to ourselves. Pain. Anger. Frustration.
Life is about the choices we make and the actions we take in regards to those choices. Forgiveness, letting go is a decision that we have to make. Choosing to forgive is not about saying that the person or situation was right or okay. It is about letting go for your own health, peace of mind and forward movement. When you make the decision to forgive, your actions and emotions will follow your decision. We may have to keep choosing forgiveness, more than once or twice but choosing to forgive and letting go of the past will bring you freedom. It will free up your energy so that you can live up to your full potential. It will free up your energy to live your life to the fullest.
Try this exercise and watch how your life changes. You will be grateful that you did.
Sit down and make a list of all the grudges you are holding onto. List all the people and what it was that occurred. Now make a list of all the things you have done that you are holding against yourself. Take your time. This may take hours or it may take days. Be thorough. When you have finished your lists, create a ritual to ‘let go of the past and forgive’. Take your lists and say out loud, “I now completely forgive and let go of each of these people and situations”. You can say each one out loud individually or as one group. Then do the same saying, “I now completely forgive myself for these situations”.
When you are done, take each sheet of paper outside or somewhere safe and light them on fire. Create a ‘forgiveness fire’, and watch while each sheet burns completely releasing the energy and returning it back to the Universe to be recycled.
Feel proud! This is an amazing way to lighten and move yourself forward.
Victoria Buckmann
www.ConsciouslyCreateYourIdealLife.com
@getyesinlife